After The End
by otterhoundgirl
Summary: Katniss is one lucky girl. She is engaged to Peeta Mellark and is about to have the wedding of the century. But when something happens that will change her life forever, will the luck continue? Rated T for some mature content.
1. Chapter 1

The grimy sun, blazing through my eyes, wakes me up in the morning. I roll over on my side and see those blazing blue eyes.

"Peeta," I say quietly. He smiles and cradles my face in his hands.

"Good morning, love," he says sleepily, "No nightmares?" I think.

"No," I confirm. He smiles.

"Finally. I told you you'd feel better if you went hunting," Peeta says. He's right. After the death of my sister and loss of so many friends during the Rebellion, I became depressed. Nobody could comfort me, only Peeta. I went hunting yesterday, at his suggestion, and while I wish I had a hunting partner, as Gale is managing cleanup efforts in Districts 1 and 2, the hunting did clear my mind.

I get out of bed and look at Peeta. He's sleeping again. Of course. Peeta will fall asleep if you don't talk to him during the morning. I throw a pillow at his face.

"Up, lazybird!," I tease, tickiling him on his chin. He moans.

"Okay, okay, I'm getting up," he mumbles. He gets onto his knees and stretches out. He winces in pain as his "new leg" stretches out. His artifical leg is gone, replaced by something that looks like an actual leg. It's a HUGE improvement.

"Do you want breakfast?," I ask. Peeta nods. I give him a kiss on the cheek and head down the stairs. Peeta and I still live in District 12, in his house in the Victor's Village. My house brought back too many painful memories of Prim, and my mother now lives happily there. I enter the kitchen and pull open one of the wooden cabinets. I pull out two rolls and get some butter out of the cooler. I also pour two glasses of water and then set the whole meal down on the kitchen table. "PEETA!," I scream, "Breakfast is ready!" In an instant he comes bounding down the stairs. He eyes the small amount of food I've put down on the table.

"C'mon, Katniss, just a little bit more?," he pleads. I shake my head. He frowns. "Okay then, let's eat," he says. We sit down and he starts shoving the roll in his mouth. Peeta, he's always hungry.

"So, what do we have to do today?," I ask. Peeta scratches his chin.

"I think that Effie has the whole day down for wedding planning-for you. Haymitch said that I need to go on a quick daytrip to District 11, to tour the new hospital built there," Peeta answers. I groan. I hate wedding plans. I get engaged and I swear, every single moment of my day is spent wedding planning. It's Peeta's wedding too-he should have to plan with me.

"Okay, but if I have to spend more than five hours deciding between lillies or roses I will not be a happy camper," I tell Peeta. He laughs and gives me a kiss.

"Ok, love, you do that," Peeta says. He rises out of his chair and goes off to change. I take the ceramic plates and place them in the washbin, then go to change as well. Searching my closet, I pick out a pair of tight black pants and a white sweater. When I come out, Peeta looks at me. "Wow, you look hot," he says, pulling me into his arms. I swat his arm.

"NOT now, Peeta," I say. He frowns.

"Pleaseeeee, just a little?," he asks with puppy-dog eyes. I groan and sigh. I pull him forward and give him a deep kiss, something to hold him off.

"Later," I say seductively. Peeta grins and pulls me back for another kiss.

"I guess I can wait until later," Peeta says.

"Let's go, Effie and Haymitch are probably waiting. We hear a knock on the door. Peeta goes downstairs to answer the door, and I can hear Haymitch say in his somewhere-between-drunk-and-sober voice,

"Well, I hope they aren't doing it. Last time I had to wait outside forever, until Katniss FINALLY opened the door." I feel color rush to my cheeks. Peeta answers the door and I hear Haymitch and Effie come in. I'd know the sound off Effie's patent leather heels anywhere. I quickly braid my hair then go downstairs to greet Effie, who is carrying a vase of flowers and has a little suitcase behind her, probably full of pictures of dresses and table setting samples.

"Hey, guys," I say. Haymitch pulls me in for a hug and Effie gives me a kiss on the cheek.

"Well, we'd better get going. I think the train leaves in twenty minutes," Haymitch says to Peeta. Peeta nods, grabs his little bag/briefcase that makes me crack up whenever he carries it, then gives me a kiss.

"By, love," he whispers in my ear. Haymitch waves and then they leave. I take a deep breath. Ever since the arena, I sometimes have this feeling that whenever I say goodbye to him I won't see him again. I just stand there for awhile, until Effie says,

"Okay, we need to decide on the flowers. I was thinkig lillies or violets, because roses are SO vulgar."

"Um, I don't really care, Effie. You can choose, you have an eye for that sort of thing," I say.

"No, its your wedding, you need to decide," Effie replies. I sigh and sit down to examine the vase of flowers.

"I like the violets-could we do violets and primrose?," I say finally. After Prim died, Peeta helped me figure out little ways to honor her. Among some were the primrose in the vase in our bedroom that we always refilled, always having blueberry buns in our cabinet (these were her favorites) and having primrose at our wedding.

Effie touches her hand to her heart. "I think that would be nice, yellow and purple, as long as we have a white dress," she says.

"Okay, Effie, whatever you say," I reply. Effie smiles, and says:

"We still need to decide on a dress. I was thinking a nice big skirt, because I assume that you're getting married in the Capitol?," Effie asks. I nod. Peeta and I really have no trouble going to the Capitol now, as after the rebellion they tore the Capitol down and rebuilt it.

"A big skirt seems nice. I don't want to look like Glimmer, in her slinky dresses," I admit. Effie scratches her chin and then pulls out two photographs. One is of a white dress with a sweetheart neckline, a lacy bodice, and a simple white ballgown skirt with layers of tulle under it. The second dress is ivory, strapless, with a jewled bodice and a feathered skirt. I gasp. Only one person could have designed these dresses.

"Cinna," I say, and tears spring to my eyes. Effie gives me a hug.

"He designed them for you when the Quarter Quell was announced. Somehow, he knew he would end up in trouble. I know he wanted to make your wedding dress," Effie whispers. I start to cry even harder. Cinna- I miss him so much.

"I really like this one," I say, pointing to the white dress with the sweetheart neckline. Effie nods.

"I like that one too," Effie agrees. "I guess I'll go to the Capitol sometime this week and pick up the dress," she says, getting up. "Well, Katniss, I'll see you later." I get up and give her a big hug.

"Thank you," I say. She waves goodbye then takes her suitcase with her and leaves. I sit down on the couch and pull my knees up to my face. I miss Cinna, Prim, Finnick, and even though he's not really gone, Gale. More tears escape my eyes and I wish that Peeta was here to comfort me. I stand up, put on my shoes, leave the house to go visit my mother. When I step outside, I see Leon, our new head Peacekeeper, roaming the square. I smile. Leon is one of the nicest Peacekeepers ever, he really puts the peace in Peacekeeper. I walk the short distance to my mother's house and then knock on the door. She answers and gives me a hug.

"Hey, Katniss. Do you want some lunch?," she asks. I nod.

"So, Mom, how's it going?," I ask. She shrugs.

"There was a girl here last night, 'round ten, she was having a baby. Beautiful little boy. Speaking of babies, am I going to have any grandkids anytime soon?," my mother asks, dicing tomatoes to put in a salad. I feel my cheeks turn red, and I sputter,

"Mom, erm, were not married yet." She grins, and the door rings. I go to answer it, and I see someone I was not expecting standing at the door, holding a rabbit, as he knows my mom loves them in stew.

"Hey, Catnip."

Gale.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the reviews! Second chapter in 1 day, I have about three more chapters written, I'll try to update every day (but I'm a busy person) REVIEWS PLEASE! XOXO PEYTON**

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT THE PLOT OF THIS INDIVIDUAL STORY.

"You're back," I say, throwing myself into his arms. He still smells like cinnamon and wood.

"Catnip, I've missed you," Gale says when we finally break apart.

"I've missed you too, I've been hunting by myself. Peeta offered to help, but he can't shoot an arrow," I say, taking the rabbit from Gale. His expression turns from happy to slightly angry at the mention of Peeta.

"Oh, you're still with Peeta?," he asks. I nod.

"We're, um, sort of engaged," I say, shifting my weight from one foot to another.

"Do you really love him?," Gale inquires.

"Uh, Gale, can we take this outside?," I ask, geturing towards my Mother, who is standing in the corner.

"Sure," he replies, "Nice seeing you Mrs. Everdeen." We step outside into the sun.

"Gale, I love you, you're like a brother to me," I say quietly.

"Katniss, what about us?," asks Gale.

"I'm sorry, I'm with Peeta, a person who has been there for me throughout everything," I reply.

"What about when he tried to strangle you?," bites back Gale.

"He wasn't Peeta then. He was hijacked Peeta," I reply, trying to keep my voice calm. "I love him and we are getting married."

Gale buries his face in his hands for a moment then takes a deep breath. He gives me another hug, and then says:

"Okay, can we just forget about Peeta for a moment?," he asks. "I do love you and always will but if you've moved on, I'll try to love you like a sister," Gale says. I say nothing, just nod.

"Do you want to come over for some tea?," I ask.

"That sounds good," Gale answers. We walk to mine and Peeta's house and I see Gale wrinkle his nose when he sees that I'm living with Peeta but I pretend that I don't notice. I unlock the door and we go inside. I put a pot of water on the stove and take out two mugs and two teabags. Gale sits down on the white sofa.

"Nice place," he says, examining the leather on the sofa.

"Thanks," I say, placing a hot mug of tea in front of him, "It's all so white. Peeta is in the process of mixing paint to add a little color to the walls."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. I didn't want to say that," Gale says. I swat his arm and we talk all afternoon. He tells me all about Districts 1 and 2 and I tell him about what its been like around here. Around ten, when we're sitting on the couch, eating noodles with cheese in front of the roaring fire, Peeta comes home.

"Katniss, I'm home!," he says. I put my hand to my mouth. How am I going to explain this? "Katniss, where are you?," he calls. "Its later, you know," he adds. He comes into the living room and then stops. I get up, hand my bowl to Gale, and go give Peeta a kiss.

"Hey, Peeta. You remember Gale, right?," I say, standing in front of Gale.

"Oh, you're back," says Peeta, stroking my hair.

"Yeah. Thanks for the noodles," Gale says, getting up. "I'd better be going." He folds the blanket he was wrapped in, gives me a hug, then gives Peeta a handshake.

"Congratulations on your engagement. Bye," Gale says, hurrying out. When he's gone, I laugh. He hightailed it out.

"Er, Katniss?", says Peeta.

"It's all good. He is my best friend, after all," I say. Peeta gives me another kiss.

"Okay, love," he says.

"Great," I say as he wraps me in his arms. "Its later," I remind him.

"You're right," he says, laughing.

"I gotta go get ready, for bed, see you soon," I say, winking. My heart is beating fast now.

I go into our room and shift through our closet. Sometimes I really owe Johanna. She took me to this store and told me to pick anything I needed, because Peeta would appreciate. Then of course some paparazzi photograph us leaving with all these bags, and run the picture with the headline: "Sexy Mockingjay!" Peeta cracked up when Annie sent him the picture and I buried my head in a pillow.

I pick one of the pieces that she bought me that day, a sheer lace piece, then sit on the bed to wait for Peeta. When he comes in, he's wearing only a pair of boxers, and I can see his gorgeous six pack and bulging biceps. It's finally later.

So after we do it, and we lay in bed with my head on his bare chest, he strokes my hair and I whisper: "Forever?," He gives me a kiss on the cheek.

"Forever."


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everybody- just a quick author's note.

From the next chapter and on, this story will have some creative idea help from my best friend, Grace. With her help, I'll be able to make the story even better.

THANK YOU!

Xoxo otterhoundgirl

P.S- I'll try to update soon!


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for taking so long to update, but on the bright side, you get this nice long chapter! **

**REVIEW! **

**xoxo otterhoundgirl**

In the morning, I quietly get out of bed, put on a pair of simple green pants and my old leather hunting jacket. I leave out a blueberry bun for Peeta and quietly slip off to the woods, where Gale meets me under the large willow tree. I have my bow and arrows and he has his knife and game bag.

"Morning," I say. Gale puts his finger to his mouth and points at a deer roaming the clearing near us. I load my bow and pull back, then shoot. The dear falls down to the ground. Gale runs over, kills the animal with his knife, then pulls the carcass over to a safe spot where we can retrieve it later. Even though we both have no shortage of food now, we still hunt. Good way to clear your head, and fresh meat is good.

We make out well. By midday, we have one deer, four rabbits, and two squirrels. Also, one big bag full of greens. We sit under a big tree and I take out two blueberry buns, a container of fruit, and two fizzy waters. We eat in peace, and when we finish, we lay down on our backs, staring at the sky and admiring the clouds. When I have the idea to look at my watch, I'm surprised. It's already four! I have dinner with Haymitch at six.

"Well, Gale this was nice, but I'd better go get ready for dinner," I tell him. He nods and stands. We walk in silence, until we reach the place where the deer was hidden. Gale slings the carcass over his shoulder.

"I'm going to go and take this to Greasy Sae," says Gale. I nod and he departs. I quicken my pace as I walk the short path back to the Victor's Village.

Peeta sees me from the window and greets me with a sweet kiss. He wraps his arms around me and I mumble "Not where everyone can see, Peeta."

"Well, can we go somewhere else?," he asks, kissing my neck.

"We have to get ready for dinner, remember?," I say in a strict tone.

"Fine," Peeta grumbles.

An hour later, I am wearing a gorgeous gold gown made by Cinna's hands. My hair is twisted into a knotted updo, and my makeup is flawless. Venia, Flavius, and Octavia have given me the look of someone who is sophisticated, yet young, since I am only twenty years old after all. When Peeta emerges from his prep session, he is wearing a pitch black tuxedo and his hair is slicked back. I wobble forward in my five-inch heels and tousle his hair.

"Your hair looks better now," I tell him. He leans in for a kiss, but I stop him.

"I'm wearing five layers of lipstick, lipgloss, and lipstain. Plus a couple layers of lip liner. Venia will KILL you if my lips are anything but perfect," I scold him. He laughs and gives me a kiss on the forehead instead.

We hear Haymitch's drunken stumble downstairs.

"Katmiss… Katniss… Peeta… are you having sex?"

I blush and roll my eyes. "He's drunk again." I take Peeta by the hand and we go downstairs. Effie is fluffing her new deep purple hairdo. When she sees me, she starts dabbing her eyes with a tissue.

"Katniss, you've changed so much!," she weeps. She starts weeping so hard that she has to excuse herself to redo her makeup. Haymitch, who is sitting on the counter eating a cheese bun, takes another swig of his vodka.

"Effie, Effie, Effie," he slurs. Peeta and I share worried glances. We are on our way to a memorial dinner marking the one year anniversary of the Rebellion. Haymitch can't be this drunk for a somber occasion like this.

"Okay, Haymitch, can you drink some coffee or something?" asks Peeta. Haymitch waves his finger at us then pours himself a cup of coffee from the pot on the stove.

"I'm drinking coffee now, okay?" he says irratably. Effie comes back in. Her makeup is again impeccable.

"Let's go! The car is waiting outside," Effie urges. Effie takes Haymitch by the arm and pulls him out the door. Peeta entwines his fingers in mine and locks the door behind us.

A long black car is waiting for us. A limosine, I think they call it? I'm still not accustomed to our luxurious lifestyle. I get in and feel the soft velvet interior. It reminds me of the sofas the tributes sat at when they were saying their goodbyes to their families, and immediately I am overtaken by grief. Peeta gives my hand a knowing squeeze. He sat on those sofas as well.

"It's okay," he whispers in my ear. I lean my head on his shoulder and close my eyes. The car comes to a stop and the doors open. Effie motions for us to come out, and Peeta puts his arm around me. I wipe the frown off my face, because so many people are taking my picture. Everyone screams when we step out of the car. We are ravishing. Paparazzi are snapping our pictures and random people outside the Justice Building are screaming as I smile and wave in their direction. Once we go inside, the scene is much different. There are black banners hanging all around the banquet room and many people are sitting at a bunch of tables adorned with silk table cloths. A woman gives Peeta and me cards with "Table 3" written on them. We make our way around the ballroom, shaking hands and smiling at people we know, until we finally reach Table three. I see that we are seated with many framiliar faces, such as Delly, Gale, and Thom. Johanna, Annie, and Murray, Annie and Finnick's three year old son, have traveled into town for the event.

"Hello everyone," Peeta says, choosing a seat where he can sit next to me and Delly. On my other side is Annie, who has Murray on her lap. I give Annie a quick side hug, then take Murray on my lap and coo: "How's my little merman?" Annie smiles.

"He said his first word today. Finnick." Her eyes are misting over. I give Murray back to Annie and try to say something to Gale, who is flirting with Johanna, when Plutarch comes on over the microphone.

"I'd like to welcome you all here tonight. Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of the end of the Rebellion, when peace was restored. So much couldn't have been possible without..." Plutarch rambles on. Johanna rolls her eyes with me and I start playing footsie with Delly under the table. "I'd now like to acknowledge two very special young people who made the Rebellion what it is today. Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, can you come up to the stage?" Plutarch says. Startled, I look at Peeta. We both rise from our seats, unsure. Plutarch says something witty into the microphone that I don't hear because of my nervousness and motions for us to come up to the stage. I grip Peeta's arm tightly and we hear a collective awww from the audience when they see us come up on the stage. I lock eyes with Johanna, who rolls her eyes at me, and then look at Peeta. He is talking about how even though he was hijacked by the Capitol, he never stopped on fighting and then he moves on to a little spiel about combined efforts. When he finishes speaking, I take a deep breath.

"I never would have been involved in the Rebellion if it wasn't for my sister Prim, Peeta, my best friend Gale, and so many others I met along the way. Little Rue from 11, or the famed Finnick Odair from 4. Tonight is about remembering them, the sacrifice that they made so that we could be free from the Capitol," I say, my voice getting more confident with every word. When I look out to the audience, Annie has tears in her eyes and Haymitch is sober enough to look saddened. "Thank you, and please, enjoy the rest of the night!" I add on. The audience laughs at that. I grasp Peeta's hand and we walk off of the stage. Plutarch, who obviously has tears in his eyes, gets back on the stage and says that there is a buffet in the other room and dancing will start soon.

So many people come up to me and say how they think I am such an influence and how I should be proud of myself. Some apologize about Prim. A few chatty ones from the Capitol, probably Effie's friends, congratulate me on my engagement and I chat with them about little wedding details.

When I finally have a moment to myself, I spot Peeta on the dancefloor, dancing with Murray, who is jumping up and down and clapping his hands together. This makes me smile. I go and find Annie, who is obviously sad about Finnick again. I give her a hug.

"Don't think about it. Think about Murray," I say, gesturing towards Peeta and Murray, "Look at what a good time he is having."

"Thanks, Katniss," Annie whispers, taking her fingers out of her ears and going over to get Murray. I follow her, trying to steal Peeta for a moment alone. When I go up to him, he transfers Murray to Annie's arms and comes over and wraps his arms around me.

"Hey, how are you?" he asks.

"Okay. Sad night," I whisper. He gives me a kiss on the forehead again, since I told him earlier my lips were off limits until I got Venia's lipstick creation removed.

"You want to dance?" he asks, putting his hands on my hips. The person controlling the music seems to notice that we're on the dance floor, because a slow ballad comes on. We start to dance and Peeta twirls me around. Then for awhile we waltz, then we dance really fast with Gale and Johanna to this electric number, and for the last dance of the evening, another slowdance, we sort of just sway there, gazing into one another's eyes. After the music ends, I notice that we're the only people on the dance floor. People have cleared off of it, watching us showing our undying love for each other. Some are even taking pictures with their mobile phones, a little something Beetee came up with after the Rebellion. Speaking of Beetee, I wish he was here tonight.

My cheeks turn red, and I bury my face in Peeta's shirt. He smells good, fresh and clean with a slight aroma of soap.

My burying my face in Peeta's shirt draws another round of applause. Peeta dips me back and kisses me. Venia is going to KILL him, but who cares? I feel someone tap me on the shoulder. Johanna is behind me, and Gale is holding one of her hands. Her other hand is tapping my shoulder.

"Everdeen, Mellark, there are kids here. The two people who supposedly saved the Districts shouldn't be bad role models, hmm?" she says all too loudly. My cheeks, already rosy from the lack of breath and embarrassment, turn rosier.

"Okay, Johanna," Peeta says. Then we walk off the dance floor to tedious clapping. The crowd is slowly leaving, and we meet Haymitch at the door. He is drinking a cup of coffee and looks tired.

"Well, time to go. We'll see you tomorrow at ten, the camera crews are coming to do that little promo about remembrance or whatever," he mumbles. He then staggers out the door and Peeta and I exchange glances. We say goodbye to everybody and then step outside into the cool air. Another limosuine is waiting outside, but we give it to Gale, Johanna, Annie, and Murray, and opt to ride in a car similar to a wagon. When the car drops us off at home, Peeta pays the driver, extends his arm around me, then unlocks the house. I slip off my shoes at the door, and Peeta draws the velvet curtains.

"Now nobody can see," he says, giving me another kiss.

"I'm going to go get ready for bed and get all this makeup off," I say, returning the kiss. Peeta nods and I go upstairs and take off my dress. I carefully take off my dress, hang it up in the closet, and put on a pair of satin shorts and a laced black undershirt. I hear Peeta start a shower and I go into the bathroom to wash my face. When I pull the door open, I see Peeta is stark naked, waiting for the water to warm up.

"Er, sorry, I thought you were in the another bathroom," I explain. Peeta laughs.

"Do you want to shower after I'm done?" He asks as he climbs into the shower. I notice he only closes the shower curtain halfway.

"No, I'll shower afterwards. I just want to wash my face," I say. I rub soft smelling lavender soap over my face, then splash warm water on my face. The makeup comes off of my face and the sink is stained with the colors of my makeup. I scrub my cheekbones a little harder to remove the marks the makeup left behind and when I'm finally fresh faced, I get into bed and wait for Peeta. When he comes out of the bathroom, he's only wearing a towel wrapped around his waist. He climbs in next to me and we relax for a moment, until I look into his eyes and we start kissing, passionately.

"Wait, are the blinds closed?" I interrupt. Peeta gets out of bed and closes the blinds. So basically, we start doing it.

'Having fun there?" somebody says. I look up and see a sober Haymitch standing in the doorway. Shoot, we left the door open. He smirks and takes a swig of coffee.

"When I told you to have a good night, I didn't mean it like this," he continues. Suddenly, I become aware that I am naked and Peeta is on top of me. Peeta gets off of me and then we both cover ourselves with the soft, woollen blankets.

"What are you doing here?" Peeta asks. He sounds annoyed.

"Well, I saw all the lights on, and your door was unlocked," Haymitch says. "I just came by to tell you that the promo shoot is starting at eleven instead of ten."

"Well, thank you Haymitch. Next time, please knock," I say, annoyed like Peeta. Haymitch picks up my clothes from the floor and Peeta's towel and sets them on the dresser then takes another swig of coffee.

"I'm going now. Enjoy yourselves. We'll be here at eleven tomorrow. Goodnight. I'll lock your door on the way out," Haymitch concludes, shutting off the lights when he leaves. Peeta and I wave goodbye, and when we know for sure he is gone, resume what was interrupted.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here you go, another chapter! **

**I'll be going to Hawaii for a week and a half starting tomorrow, so I probably won't update in that time period**wave of nausea ripples through me. I drop my cheese bun and run to the bathroom. In a moment, everything I've eaten this morning leaves me. Peeta, who has been making a cake for Gale's birthday, comes running in from the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" he asks, coming over to the toilet to hold my hair up.

"I don't know!" I say between throwing up my entire stomach.

"Do you need me to call the clinic?" he asks, obviously concerned.

"No, I'm fine. I knew that deer wasn't a good idea," I scold myself. The thought of meat makes me sick again. Peeta takes a few loose strands of hair from my face. When the nausea stops, I slump against the tiled wall of the bathroom.

"I'm just going to wait here for a minute," I say, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

"I'll wait with you," says Peeta quickly, before I can protest. A minute later he returns with his sketchbook. "I need to think of a design for our wedding cake," he explains. That's right-the wedding- the wedding that is in one month.

"Don't talk about food," I warn him, and start to feel nauseated again.

"Sorry, love," Peeta apologizes, and goes back to sketching.

"I feel better now, but I'm going to go lay down," I tell him.

"Do you want me to lay down with you?" he asks.

"No, you need to sketch the cake. Murray will freak out if there isn't any," I smile. He gives me a kiss, even though I tell him my breath probably smells really awful.

I change into a pair of soft grey pants and a plain white t-shirt and then go to lie down in bed. I close my eyes, and I'm drifting into sleep...

"When I wake up, Peeta is sitting on the chair next to our bed, drinking a cup of tea and reading a book.

"How long have I been out for?" I ask him.

"It's about dinner," he says, turning the page in his book. I yawn.

"Thanks for letting me sleep," I thank him. He shrugs.

"I finished designing the cake, you're going to like it," he tells me. I go over and give him a hug. "Do you want something to eat?" he asks. I nod.

"I feel like vegetable soup," I say, already tasting the salty concoction in my mouth.

"Vegetable soup it is then," Peeta agrees, then goes downstairs to start making the soup. I brush my teeth, shower the vomit off of me, then change into a pair of stretchy white pants and an oversized grey sweater. When I come downstairs, Peeta is ladling soup into two bowls.

"Dinner is served," he says in a corny Capitol accent. We carry the soup out on to the porch, where we eat, talk, and when it gets dark, lay on our backs and look at the stars.

"You see that constellation?" Peeta asks me. I lay my head on his chest.

"Yes?" I say.

"They call it the Big Dipper," he tells me.

"Really?" I ask, tracing the pattern of the constellation with the tip of my finger.

"Yeah. In the Capitol, they have people whose jobs are to look at the stars. They call them astronomers," he explains. I laugh. What a silly job. I yawn.

"Let's go in, I'm tired," I beg Peeta as I stand up. He stands and picks me up. "No, Peeta-no," I say, but he's already carrying me inside, then up the mahogany stairs. When we reach our bedroom, he lays me down on the bed.

"Go to sleep, love," he whispers in my ear. I give him a goodnight kiss and close my eyes.

When I wake up in the morning, I smell muffins. Peeta made muffins! I get out of bed and am about to go downstairs when I feel nausea ripple through me.

"Peeta!" I have enough time to scream before I run into the bathroom to throw up again. I hear Peeta's feet pounding on the stairs as he rushes to see what's wrong. He comes into the bathroom and sees me throwing up.

"Oh no, are you okay?" he asks, rushing towards my side. I nod, before I start throwing up again. "You need to visit the doctor," he tells me, getting a cool washcloth for me to put on my head.

"No, I'm fine," I persist.

"No, you're not," he insists. "I'll even have Dr. Zach come to the house- just let him give you a checkup, okay?" he begs me. I nod.

"I think it's over," I tell him. He nods and goes downstairs to call Dr. Zach. I can hear him talking on the phone.

I decide to take a shower. I turn on the water and step in, clothes and all. I rub some coconut shampoo into my hair then take off my clothes to wash my skin.

I get out of the shower and change. When I go downstairs, Peeta is talking to a grey haired man, Dr. Zach.

"Hello, Ms. Everdeen," he says, shaking my hand. "I understand that you may have the flu?" he asks. I nod.

"I threw up yesterday morning and then this morning too," I tell him. He nods, and I can tell something has clicked in his mind.

"When was your last menstrual cycle?" he asks. I scratch my chin.

"Probably like, a month and a half ago," I say, and when those words leave my mouth, I get scared. I'm late. Oh my gosh, I'm late.

Dr. Zach takes my temperature and then takes a blood test. He finally gives me a little white stick.

"I think you know what that is, Ms. Everdeen," he says. "If you could go to the bathroom and take it, thank you," he directs me. My heart starts beating fast. Could I really be...?

I take the test then hand it to Dr. Zach. He stares at it, and then he smiles. Peeta cranes his head over to see, and so do I. Oh no, there's a little pink line.

"Ms. Everdeen, you do not have the flu. The cause of your illness is pregnancy," Dr. Zach tells me. He obviously thinks I'm going to be overjoyed.

Oh my gosh, I'm pregnant.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for such a short chapter! I wrote this on the balcony of our hotel room, overlooking the sunset, so I was a little distracted. This is just a filler chapter then. **

**Cheer up! Next chapter is what everyone has been waiting for!  
Review, por favor?**

Peeta's mouth is hanging wide open. I sit down on the shiny white leather couch and bury my head in my hands.

"No, it can't be, there must be some mistake," I start. Dr. Zach writes my report in his book and then snaps it shut.

"No, not a mistake. You're about a month along," he tells me. Peeta smiles.

"Katniss, we're having a baby!" Peeta says, picking me up in his arms.

"Will I be showing before the wedding?" I ask Dr. Zach. He shakes his head.

"No, will you tell anyone?" he asks.

"Probably not, until after the wedding," I reply, looking at Peeta for approval. He nods. We say goodbye to Dr. Zach, then sit down on the couch.

"I love you, Katniss," Peeta starts. I give him a kiss.

"I love you, too," I tell him. He wraps his arm around me.

"Do you want to tell anybody before the wedding?" he asks me, fiddling with my hair. My hand goes to my stomach.

"No, I don't think we need to tell until after. Don't want to give Plutarch a bunch of gossip," I joke.

"That sounds like a good idea," he agrees.

"I love you."


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm SO sorry that I haven't updated in awhile! You probably want to kill me. But I've been busy. Here's chapter 6 and I promise chapter 7 will be up really soon! **

**xoxo otterhoundgirl**

When I wake up, the first thought I have is: "I'm getting married today." I roll over but find the bed sadly empty, as, succumbing to wedding tradition, I am staying at my mother's house and Peeta is at his house, which will soon become our house. I sit up and expect nausea, but there is none. I whisper a silent thank-you to the baby as Effie comes into my room. She is already all done up for the wedding. Her hair is turquoise, and her lips are a deep fuschia.

"Up, up, it's going to be a big, big day!" she squeals. I bury my head in my pillow.

"Five more minutes?" I beg. She shakes her head.

"We need to get you to Venia, Octavia, and Flavius straight away. Then you'll get makeup and hair done. Then we'll be ready by one, or we hope," Effie says, examining her clipboard. I moan and get out of bed, rubbing my stomach. I'm not showing yet, thank goodness, because my wedding dress is specifically fitted so that no extra weight is allowed. Effie, who doesn't know that I'm pregnant, notices and asks, "Does your stomach hurt?"

"No," I reply, going downstairs, where my prep team have set up a makeshift studio in the living room. I settle into the shiny black leather chair.

"I can't believe the girl on fire is getting married!" squeals Octavia as she brushes out my hair. Venia, who is donning new three inch long aqua eyelashes, gives me a kiss on the cheek and starts waxing my legs. I yelp as they pull the strips from my legs, one by one. When we are done, I look flawless, and Effie says I can now eat something. I hurry to the kitchen where I eat a bowl of hot oats with strawberries. I am then ushered to the large master bathroom, where my makeup is done. I have glossy red lips and a light pearl colored eye shadow on. My nails are painted a pearl color that matches my dress. I'm then ushered into the living room again, where Flavius does my hair, braiding it, then wrapping the braid into a bun, then letting a few strands fall around my face, which he curls into ringlets.

"You look ravishing!" he tells me, applying another layer of deep purple lipstick.

"Thank you," I say, then leave in search of Effie. I find her in the kitchen, wearing a turquoise dress, covered in sparkling gems. She squeals. There has been a lot of squealing today.

"You look AMAZING!" she says. "Let's get you into this dress," she tells me, and I follow her into my old bedroom, where my dress hangs, encased in a plastic bag. I gasp and put my hand to my mouth.

"It's gorgeous," I whisper, taking my hand away from my mouth. Effie unzips the bag and then hands me a small, satin, bag, and I can feel undergarments in it. I hurry into the bathroom and change into the laced bra and the sheer lace undies. I pull on a robe then go back into my bedroom, where Effie is holding the dress. I take off the robe and Effie notices the really small bulge in my stomach, that you can't see when I'm wearing clothes. I step into the dress and feel the fabric hug my body. Effie laces up the corset back and then puts a diamond tiara on my head. She has to dab her eyes while doing this.

"You're all grown up," she says, giving me a hug. These damn pregnancy hormones make me start sniffling as well. "Don't mess up your makeup," she reminds me. I dab the corners of my eyes, the way that Effie taught me in my style instruction for those first games, to remove the tears. My mom then comes in, dressed in a flowing green gown with a brown belt, and does the whole mother routine. By 12:30 I am in another limousine, with my three bridesmaids, Annie, Delly, and Johanna. They are all dressed in strapless yellow gowns and look amazing in them.

"I can't believe you're getting married!" cries Annie. Johanna and Delly nod along, their heads bobbing. We have a little more to go until we get to the specifically built site for the nupitals, so we make small talk about Johanna and Gale's exciting new relationship. When I bring up the incident in the bathroom, Johanna turns beet red then punches me playfully, while Delly and Annie laugh so hard that we need to get waters from the little cooler in the corner of the car.

"We're here!" Delly finally squeals. I take a deep breath and step out of the car. Cameras flash everywhere. Reporters are screaming and clicking away on their cameras. We walk around the building where the reception will be held, to the backyard, where the altar and so many chairs are set up. When I asked for a number of attendees, Plutarch said that one-hundred people would attend the wedding, only close friends and some high-ranking Capitol officials, but over four-hundred were invited to the reception, compromising on my want for a small wedding and Plutarch's "need" for a large affair. Somebody hands me a bouquet of fresh primrose and then Effie and Haymitch, who will be walking me down the aisle, walk up to me. Haymitch is wearing a suit and his hair is trimmed and his beard cleaned.

"We need you walking down the aisle in five minutes. Be warned, Plutarch struck some sort of press deal, and there are about ten photographers in the back. But don't worry, they are each only allowed to take two photos," Effie assures me, giving me a hug then hurrying back to her seat. Haymitch settles into a chair to wait. I hear music play, and then Delly Johanna, and Annie each take the arms of Thom, Gale, and Jackson, respectively, Peeta's groomsmen. They walk down the aisle to large applause. A man wearing a headset signals to me and Haymitch that is is time to go. I start to feel awfully nervous, and Haymitch takes my arm as we walk down the aisle. Everybody stands up as the traditional bride music plays. Cameras click, and I can see my mother dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. My eyes lock on Peeta, who looks so happy, wearing a tuxedo and a buttonaire of primrose. I try to hurry down the aisle so I can get married to Peeta already, but Haymitch makes me go slower. When I finally reach Peeta, Haymitch gives me a kiss on the cheek as Peeta and I lock hands. He mouths "I love you" as the minister starts to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are here today to unite Katniss Lila Everdeen and Peeta Xavier Mellark in holy matrimony. We will start by the reading of the vows," the minister says. Peeta takes a deep breath.

"Katniss, I feel like our story is finally getting the perfect ending. You have already given me a lifetime of love, and I want to give you the same. Through the good and bad, ups and downs, rainy days and sunshiny days, I will always be there for you," he says lovingly. As he finishes, I hear a chorus of weeping from the crowd, and I have to wipe my eyes with the back of my hand.

"Peeta, you are the one that gave me hope. You are the one that has been there for me when I wake up, screaming of nightmares. You are the one that has given me everything, and I want to be there for you forever," I say, adding an "I love you" at the end. This draws more weeping from the crowd. I hear Murray screaming because he wants his mother, and somehow this comforts me.

"You have the rings?" the minister asks. Peeta nods and takes the ring from a velvet pillow held out. He slips it onto my finger.

"With this ring, I thee wed," he manages to choke out. His voice is getting thick and I can tell that he is going to cry. I take my ring, a simple silver band, and slip it onto his finger.

"With this ring, I thee wed," I repeat. The minister claps her hands together.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife!" she says. "You may now kiss your bride!" she tells Peeta. He dips me back and kisses me, and everyone screams. I take my husband's hand as we face the crowd. I see Effie, sobbing in the front row with my mother, and Haymitch, who looks actually happy. I look Peeta in the eye. We're finally married.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for another really long wait! My computer had to go into the Apple store for repairs, then there was a delay on getting it back to me, then-well, you get my point. Now I'm going to try to post chapters of varying lengths every 5-6 days. Thank you for sticking with my story! **

**Great to see that already ten people have reviewed and many have subscribed! If I can get the total count up to 20 reviews and 25 subscriptions total for this chapter I'll write a very special chapter. Doesn't matter if you've already reviewed, I'd love to hear more!**

** xoxo otterhoundgirl**

"Peeta, the spaghetti was supposed to go on fifteen minutes ago!" I yell downstairs.

"Sorry love, I'm on it!" comes back Peeta's muffled reply.

Tonight is the night that we are having Gale, Johanna, Annie, and Delly over to share the big news with them.

"Do you want the bread with or without garlic?" asks Peeta as he comes into our bedroom. I pick up my silver handed hairbrush and start to brush out my hair.

"Eww, no garlic!" I say, wrinkling up my nose. Peeta laughs.

"I thought you liked garlic?" he inquires, taking off his flour dusted baking shirt and tossing it onto the chaise.

"Not since I've been pregnant," I reply, taking his shirt off the nice chair and dropping it into the hamper.

"So I have to make special runs to the bakery at two in the morning for blackberry tarte when you hate blackberries, but you don't like garlic?" asks Peeta in mock disgust. I twist my hair into a braid and press my lips to his.

"Yes. Now put a shirt on and take the spaghetti off the stove," I whisper in his ear as I run my hands over his abs.

"Okay," he agrees, shrugging on a red button down and bounding down the stairs. I quickly change into a pair of green pants and a white cardigan and go downstairs to help Peeta with the spaghetti.

"Peeta, did you put my-" I ask, until I see that Gale is standing in our kitchen, placing pieces of bread onto a platter.

"Hey, Catnip!" he says. His voice is warm. I rush over and give him a hug.

"Hey, Gale," I reply. "I see you're finally cooking." I add. He laughs.

"Jo can't cook at all," he explains. "She tried to cook dinner last night and we ended up with burnt rabbit stew." ;;

I raise an eyebrow. "You and Johanna cozying up?" I ask, sitting down on a barstool. His face reddens.

"I'm going to go put the bread on the table," he announces, taking the tray in his hands and walking out with his chin held high.

"Love, do you want the spaghetti with or without parmesan?" asks Peeta as he enters and starts to pour the sauce over the steaming noodles.

I shake my head. "No parmesan," I tell him.

"Catnip, Jo and Annie are here, should I let them in?" calls Gale from the dining room.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a second," I reply as I step close to Peeta.

"Yes?" he asks.

"I think we should tell them after dinner," I say in a hushed voice.

"Sounds like a plan," Peeta replies. I rush into the living room to greet Johanna and Annie, but instead I find Gale and Johanna sharing a kiss while Annie sits on the couch, programming something into a little device that the Capitol calls a "cell phone." Annie needs it for her work, so she's on it fairly often. She looks up from the wide screen momentarily and sees me.

"Katniss!" she squeals, running over to give me a hug. "How's that ring fitting?" she asks, pointing to my ring that Peeta slipped onto my finger on our wedding day. It's a beautiful ring, a pearl surrounded by small diamonds on a simple silver band.

"I do like being married," I reply.

"Katniss!" says Johanna after she can stop kissing Gale for more than a moment, "How are you?"

"I'm good, but how are you?" I counter, raising an eyebrow. She rolls her eyes.

"Fine, thank you," she replies, coming over to give me a big hug.

"Oh, almost forgot, Delly will be late. Something about her sister having a baby?" Gale tells me.

"Dinner!" calls Peeta from the dining room. We all shuffle in and take our seats. I manage to sit next to Peeta with Johanna on my other side, then Annie strategically sits between on the other side of Johanna, separating her and Gale. Annie had called me last weekend and told me a story of how she had Gale and Johanna over for dinner and some things happened under the table and then Murray started to ask questions and it all turned into a disaster. I wink at Annie as Peeta dishes out spaghetti and bread.

"So, Annie, how's work?" asks Gale. Annie starts talking about her new job. It's very cool, she is the head of inter-district relations, meaning that she takes two Districts and sort of unites them. The two Districts she was assigned are Four and Twelve, which means that she gets to spend lots of time here in Twelve and time in Four as well.

"It's good, but it's been stressing me out," she replies.

"Johanna, how's things with you?" asks Peeta.

This is what the conversation is like for the rest of dinner, until Delly comes in, her cheeks rosy with cold.

"It's a boy," she tells us, and we all cheer. There are some moments where we fall silent because we are eating the delicious spaghetti that Peeta has concocted.

"Attention, everyone," says Peeta, tapping his glass with his spoon, we have an announcement." I stand up to join him.

"Oh, crap, everyone, Peeta knocked up Katniss," says Johanna, laughing. I share a look with Peeta. Johanna guessed it!

"You guessed it!" I tell Johanna. Annie screams in excitement.

"Oh my God, you're pregnant!" she yells, coming over to give me a hug.

"Congratulations, Catnip," says Gale, who gives me another hug. Delly embraces Peeta then comes over to me a/nd whispers in my ear, "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks, Delly," I say, who smiles happily and then returns to her seat. This whole time, Johanna has remained silent in the corner, so I go over there.

"Hey, Johanna, what's wrong?" I ask. She buries her face in her hands.

"Nothing, nothing, I just have a really bad headache," she tells me. "Congrats, by the way."

"Thanks," I reply. "I'm sort of scared to death," I admit.

"Don't be. It's just a baby," she jokes.

"C'mon, let's sit down," I say, playfully slapping her on the arm. We sit back down and the table is abuzz with chatter.

"Just a second everyone, I'll be right back," says Peeta as he excuses himself.

"So, Katniss, have you been to the doctor yet?" asks Delly. I am about to answer her question when Peeta rolls in a cake, four tiers, with the colored icing alternating from pink to blue with each layer.

"Oh my god," I cry, going to give him a deep kiss, "You made this without me knowing it?"

"I thought you would like it," he says.

"I want some cake!" interrupts Johanna.

"It looks delicious, Peeta," say Annie and Delly at the same time.

"Agreed," chimes in Gale.

"Who wants cake?" asks Peeta. We all raise our hands. Peeta takes out a silver knife and makes a clean cut and then slices a humongous piece, puts it on a plate, then hands it to me.

"Ohhh, chocolate and vanilla frosting, my favorite!" I say, taking a bite. Peeta dishes out more cake and then we all sit down.

"Can I have more?" I ask Peeta, wiping my mouth with my sleeve.

"Wow, pregnant women eat a lot," marvels Johanna, taking dainty bites.

I eat the second piece of cake just as quickly as I eat the first. I could eat another, but I start to feel queasy and I don't want all the cake coming back up.

We all sit down in the living room and chat for awhile, until Annie has to duck out because her sitter is only staying until ten-thirty. Delly leaves soon after that, and Johanna then decides to go back to her and Gale's place, insisting that she has to go home and get some sleep.

"Bye, babe," she says, giving Gale a kiss. "Bye Johanna!" I say brightly, even though I'm exhausted.

"bye Katniss!" she she replies, and with that she's out the door. I listen to the sound of the heavy wooden door shutting and get up to bolt the door, until I realize that Gale and Peeta are still yakking away on the couch.

"Beer sounds good," I hear Gale agree.

"Love, we are going to go get a beer, okay?" Peeta asks me. "Will you be fine for about an hour?" I think. I don't like being left alone, but there is a little pub just around the corner from our house that they can go to.

"Just go to Thom's, okay?" I ask, standing on my toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be fine." Peeta nods.

"We'll be back by eleven thirty. Try to get some rest." he says, putting on his coat.

"Bye, Katniss!" says Gale as they walk out the door. I chuckle at the sight of them walking down the path together. Who would have ever thought that both of my exes would become buddies? I marvel at the sight of it for one more quick moment then quickly shut the door and bolt it. Wouldn't want anybody coming in.


	9. Chapter 9

** Okay, so I know that this is a super short chapter, but my way of making it up to you for my lack of chapter posting is putting this up. I promise that chapter nine will be up soon! **

**Xoxo otterhoundgirl**

After bolting the door, I change into my pajamas, my favorite soft white fuzzy ones, then wash my face of the minimal amount of makeup I applied for the party. As I rub the lavender scented soap on my face, I hear a gunshot. I put my head up so quickly that I smack my head on the faucet.

"Damnit," I swear under my breath, rubbing a swelling area on my forehead where the faucet made contact with my face. Pain aside, I remember the gunshot. I protectively put a hand over my stomach. "You're just paranoid Katniss," I tell myself. "Anyone could be shooting a gun at this time of night. The deer are best at this time anyway," I continue to reassure myself. I do, however, go downstairs and make sure that the doors are bolted and the gun that Plutarch, Haymitch, and even President Paylor insist that we keep locked in a drawer in the kitchen is in place. I shut off all the lights but leave the porch light on so that Peeta knows I'm waiting for him, go upstairs, climb into bed, then turn off the light. I am almost not worried about the gunshot when I hear another. And another. Then another.


	10. Chapter 10

**I promised that I would get the next chapter up quickly, so here it is! If you guys review enough, I'll write a super special chapter! **

** I hope this chapter satisfies you, because I'm going to camp for a week and I don't know how much Wifi access I'll have. But hopefully I'll be able to put something up. **

** see you soon! **

** xoxox otterhoundgirl**

I can't help it. I let out a small shriek and dive under the covers. Covering my hands with my ears, I lay down and try to sleep. "What could that be?" I say under my breath. Another three gunshots ring out and I get even more nervous. Where is Peeta? I decide to try to sleep, and as soon as I lay my head down on the soft pillowcase, I hear the door quickly open and then slam shut. I hope that's Peeta. A set of feet bounds up the stairs and I hear Gale and Johanna's voices downstairs.

"Love, get up! We have to go!" Peeta says urgently as he comes into our room and flips the lights on.

"What's happening?" I ask, closing my eyes so that the bright light doesn't blind me.

"Too little time to explain, sorry, change into these, I'll pack us some stuff," says Peeta, throwing the clothes I had just taken off at me.

Legs shaking, I slide into my pants and shirt and grab my hunting jacket and wedding ring to put in my bag. Peeta comes out of the bathroom with my prenatal vitamins, both of our toothbrushes, some soap, and both of our hairbrushes, which he tosses into his bag.

"Where are we going? What do I need?" I ask.

"I'll explain later. Pack enough for a two days stay," orders Peeta. So I grab my pajamas, two random pairs of pants, and three maternity tops that I just bought because I'm showing a little already. I also grab underclothes. I then throw it all into my little brown suitcase. Peeta grabs both of our bags and then we rush downstairs. I see Gale and Johanna, who is shaking with fear, sitting on the couch, each of them carrying a small suitcase as well.

"It's time to go," announces Gale, checking his watch. Peeta takes me by the hand, hands me a pair of soft leather shoes, then we walk outside. I am surprised by the smell of smoke.

"What the hell is going on?" I choke out as Peeta leads us down a path that will have us end up in the woods.

"Haymitch will explain it all later," repeats Peeta.

"Haymitch wha-" I start to say, but am interrupted by a hovercraft materializing in front of us. We all grasp the ladder as gunshots are fired in our direction. Johanna screams, and pretty soon we are reeled in to the hovercraft.

"Good, you made it out alive," says Haymitch, looking more sober than I have ever seen him.

"What's happening?" I repeat. Peeta, Gale, and Haymitch draw in big breaths at the same time. Peeta motions for me to come sit next to him on the soft leather chairs that line the walls of the hovercraft. I drop my bag on the floor and rest comfortably on his lap. Gale and Johanna do the same thing next to us. Peeta rubs small circles on my bag and motions for Haymitch to begin.

"Well, sweetheart, for awhile, we've had knowledge of a secret Peacekeeper rebel group aiming to overthrow the government-"

"Why didn't I know about this?" I interrupt.

"Wait till the end," counters Haymitch, "AS I was saying, rebel Peacekeepers. They finally manage to capture Paylor, then start riots in all districts but of course, we are worried for your safety. I believe that ten shots were fired at Peeta and Gale? Anyways, the rebels managed to shoot Paylor. We have no word from the hospital where she is staying, other than she is in critical condition." says a Haymitch in a gravelly voice. Johanna and I gasp. Paylor...our president...shot? The whole thing seems unreal.

"What are we going to do?" asks Johanna, which is exactly what I have been wondering.

"We have managed to secure a remote location. Currently, all high-level government officials and and past victors are being relocated as we speak."

"Are Murray and Annie coming?" I inquire. Haymitch nods and I breathe a sigh of relief.

"I have to go now, I'm needed up front, but we'll be there by morning. Just try to get some rest," says Haymitch as he leaves our compartment. For a moment we remain quiet, listening to the soft hum of the hovercraft as it flies through the night sky.

"We're going to get some sleep now, are we just supposed to sleep here?" asks Gale finally. Almost as if on cue, two twin beds and one queen bed descend from the ceiling and land on opposite sides of the room.

"Guess they want to separate us, babe," jokes Johanna as Gale climbs into one of the twin beds. Johanna shoves the other one aside and instead lays on top of Gale.

"Hey, don't forget, we're just across the room, don't get too...passionate," warns Peeta. Johanna nods and proceeds to give Gale a deep kiss. I look away.

"C'mon, let's get some sleep," says Peeta in almost a pleading voice. I strip off my clothes so I am only in my undershirt and underwear. I then quietly slip into bed next to Peeta and mold my body into his. The lights go out and I fall asleep to the sound of the hovercraft traveling across the pitch-black sky.


	11. Chapter 11

**I feel really bad about the long wait! I had to travel to the Butterfly National Championships (we sailed fourth place!) and then I went to our summer home...well, you get the pictures. I'm now going to try to give you consistent chapters. **

**otterhoundgirl**

I draw in a large breath and slowly let it out.

"No, this can't be true," I say slowly. The President Paylor, the Paylor who would come over for a quick game of cards with me and Gale when she was in Twelve, the Paylor who led our country into a bright new world, dead? A small tear rolls down my face.

"I feel bad as well. But we must move on. The vehicles are ready. Can you grab all your stuff and then follow me?" asks Haymitch.

We all somberly nod and go off to grab our stuff. Peeta slings both of our bags over his shoulder and we follow Haymitch out of the hovercraft and into the bright sunlight. I draw in a deep breath. We seem to be in a tropical paradise. The crystal blue ocean is sparkling all around us and we are standing on snow-white sand. Palm trees sway softly in the flower-scented breeze.

"This is amazing," chokes out Johanna. "Where are we?"

"On an island off the coast of Four," replies Haymitch.

"It is amazing!" I breathe. Peeta nods and slings his free arm over my shoulder. We are led to a car, where we climb into a large black car. A man in a red tunic takes our baggage and offers me a hand into the car. I decline. Once we are sitting on the scratchy leather seats, the car lurches forward and drive away.

The gravelly roads are bumpy and I start to feel sick to my stomach. By the look of Gale, who has never ridden in cars much, he's having trouble keeping the hot oats and apples we were served for breakfast down as well.

We sit there in an awkward silence for a moment until Peeta attempts to spark a conversation.

"So, where do you think we'll be staying?" he asks, fiddling with his fingers.

"Haymitch said something about compartments?" replies Johanna. Suddenly, the car stops. The doors pop open and we all climb out. A women dressed in a sharp looking gray skirt and a ruffled white blouse greets us.

"Hello, my name is Vesta. I'm here to show you to your quarters," she says. We all nod.

"Follow me," she motions. Peeta takes my hand and we all march behind her. Vesta leads us to a long corridor, lined with either pink or green doors.

"I don't want to stay behind one of those pink doors," whispers Johanna under her breath. We all laugh.

"So, Gale, you're compartment 6006, Katniss and Peeta, you're compartment 6008, and Johanna, you're 6010," says Vesta, consulting her clipboard. Gale and Johanna's faces fall when they see they have been separated.

"Okay, thanks," we all chime. Vesta nods and sets down the hall.

"We're gonna go check out our place," speaks Peeta for both of us.

"We'll meet up with you later," agrees Johanna, taking her room key, smashing it under the toe of her boot, and following Gale to his room. Peeta and I laugh and set off to our room, which turns out to be four doors down.

"Ah, here we go," exclaims Peeta, jamming our key into the key slot and jimmying the green door open. We are greeted by a table with two chairs that has a plate of crackers with an interesting looking green dip laid out on it. I quickly grab a handful of the crackers and go into the next room, which has a large soft couch with an extremely large television screen. A small remote lays on the glass coffee table.

"This is nice," Peeta says as we walk into the bedroom. There is a large bed with red covers and a chair in this room, with two closets and a room off to the side that I presume to be a bathroom.

"I think Haymitch said this was once used as a resort for Capitol people," I tell Peeta. He nods.

"Seems that way, from the brightly colored furnishings," he agrees, picking up a hot pink pillow and then tossing it back on the couch.

"So, should we find something to do with our luggage?" I suggest. Peeta nods. He walks away and then returns a moment later with our luggage.

"Thanks," I say and with that we start to unpack.

It takes longer than we expected. All of my clothing (a bare five outfits), shoes, and hygenic products fight for space with everything Peeta packed on a whim (a cookbook, my wedding dress) and then of course his large collection of shoes.

When we finally sit down on the couch a little after six, all I can say is: "I'm starved!" Peeta laughs.

"I don't know how we get food," he says. I point to a booklet on the coffee table.

"Look in there!" I advise him. Sighing, he reaches forward and grabs the little leather manual.

"Oh, fascinating, there is a swimming pool that we can swim in twenty four hours a day. And a spa for you Katniss," he says, flipping through the booklet.

"Get to the food already," I nudge him. He slowly flips the page that tells us our dining options. Peeta furrows his brow, trying to read the small writing.

"Okay, there is a dining hall that is open from five in the morning to midnight. But if we don't feel like a crowd, there is all day and all night room service. The menu is located in the back of this booklet," reads Peeta.

"Room service," I say, grabbing the book from him and flipping to the back. Sure enough, there is a little menu in the back. Well, a big menu. Quickly scanning the delectable options, I make my decision.

"I want the lamb wrapped in the bacon. With the garlic mashed potatoes. And a piece of that strawberry cheese tart," I quickly say to Peeta. Laughing, he dials the number that we are supposed to call to place our order.

"It should be about ten minutes. Do you want to watch some television while we wait," asks Peeta, putting the phone back where it is supposed to belong.

"Sounds good," I reply. We sit down on the white couch and I rest my head on his lap. Picking up the remote, Peeta flips through the one thousand plus stations until he finds a rerun of a movie that some producers made a very long time ago, Titanic. We start to become entwined in the plot of the star-crossed lovers.

"Sort of like us, huh?" says Peeta with a soft chuckle. I nod.

"Room Service," says a voice outside the door. Peeta gets up, lifting my head off his lap, to go get our food. A few moments later he comes back, wheeling a large tray with many plates on it. The delicious scents fill my nose, and I get up off of the couch like a hungry dog. I take my food and eat it quickly, setting my cake aside for later.

When we finish, Peeta asks: "Do you want to go exploring?"

**Did you like it? Next chapter will be a fun chapter ;) **

** I'd appreciate it if you all reviewed! Reviews help me critique everything I've done.**


	12. Chapter 12

** Chapter 12! Hope you all enjoy it. Sorry its a little short...but at least I managed to put something up very quickly. Like Winston Churchill said, "every minute of a speech takes an hour to write." So yeah. Don't give me a hard time. Writing takes a long time. **

** I need your guy's opinion on something. Should I post longer chapters 1000 word-plus chapters six to seven days apart, or should I post 1000 word-minus chapters 2-3 days apart? Let me know in a review, or PM me. **

** That was longer than I intended that to be. At least I said everything on my mind. :) Ok, I'm going to let you read this now.**

"Of course," I reply, stuffing my face with lamb medallions. Peeta takes a final bite of his chicken in cream sauce and pushes the dish away.

"Let's go then," he says. I start to get up from my chair when I start to feel sick.

"Um, on second thought, let's go tomorrow," I moan, sitting down on the couch, rubbing my slightly enlarged stomach.

"Are you okay?" Peeta asks me. I nod.

"Morning sickness. But I get it at night, too," I explain. He cocks his head to the side and nods.

"That's weird. I"m sure they have a doctor here who could check that out," he tells me. I shrug my shoulders.

"I had an appointment with the obstrecian, today at noon, but I doubt that I'll go to that. I'll ask Haymitch tomorrow if they have anyone who could give me prenatal care," I say. Peeta nods in agreement.

"Try to get some sleep. Its been a long day," orders Peeta. I nod.

"Love, can you do me a favor? Can you get me my pajamas, my hairbrush, and my toothbrush?" I ask, smiling. Peeta laughs.

"Of course. Go lay down," he orders. I go to the master suite, peel back the blankets, and lay down on the soft sheets. Peeta brings me my maternity pajamas, so I change and am asleep before I have the chance to do anything else.


	13. Chapter 13

**Okay, here is chapter 13! I worked really hard on it, so I hope you all enjoy it! **

** I'm looking for a person who would be willing to edit this and give me any input that they might have. If you're interested, PM me and I'll give you more info. **

"So, would you rather go down to the mess hall for breakfast, or would you prefer to have them bring something up?" Peeta asks me as I take a sip of my morning tea.

"Let's go down and eat with everyone else. Give me a chance to see who else is here," I decide.

"Okay, that's fine with me. And, before I forget, I phoned Haymitch last night. He says there is a clinic with a maternal ward. I made you an appointment for today at twelve," he tells me. I stand and give him a kiss on the cheek.

"You've thought of everything. Thank you," I say, giving him another peck on the cheek. He smiles.

"They stop serving breakfast soon. Go get dressed and then we'll go down," Peeta reminds me. I nod, set my teacup down on its saucer, then go into the suite to change. As I shrug a long-sleeved gray shirt over my shoulders, I stop for a moment to admire my ever-growing bump. It probably sticks out about a finger-width now, and I can tell that I am gaining more weight in the chestal-area. Pretty soon none of my bras will fit me anymore. I sigh, button up the shirt, and then put on a pair of denim pants.

"Okay, I'm ready," I say, grabbing my leather moccasins and slipping them. Peeta shrugs on his red tee and then we leave our room, making sure to lock the door behind us.

With the help of a map and a very friendly concierge who couldn't stop admiring Peeta's biceps, we navigate our way through the building and to the large dining hall. When we walk in, a few people seem to notice us, but then I see Trinity Mef, a Capitol film star, and decide that everyone here is pretty high-profile.

We quickly spot Gale and Johanna, both half-heartedly sipping coffee from shiny mugs. I hate to say this, but they look like crap. Johanna has dark circles under her eyes, and Gale looks like he's been dragged down a road.

"Hangover." Peeta whispers, and I hold back a giggle.

"Morning guys," we say, making our way to their table. Instantly, a waiter comes over and gives us a menu. I order toast with jam and more tea, because my stomach is a little unsettled, while Peeta orders eggs, pork, and waffles.

"So it was you guys who were making all that noise last night," I say, and Peeta chokes on his orange juice. Johanna glares at me and shifts her thin white shirt to cover hickeys on her shoulders.

"Shut up," Gale commands, slamming his coffee mug down on the table. I hold my hands up defensively.

"So, I did a little research on this place last night. They have a beach and many more amenities. Do you guys want to go to the beach today?" asks Peeta. Johanna nods.

"We gotta get cleaned up first, its already eleven," says Johanna.

"That's good, because I have a doctor's appointment at twelve," I pipe in, "So we'll meet down here at one-thirty okay?"

Gale and Johanna both nod in agreement. We finish up our meal and then say goodbye until one-thirty.

"Let's just go directly to the doctor, okay?" I suggest.

"Yeah, when I called to make the appointment they said that they were in an adjoining building, so I thought that we could take the shuttle there, if you don't mind. I don't want you to have to walk all that way, but we-"

"That's fine. Let's take the shuttle," I interrupt, and we climb onto one of the awaiting buses with a sign that reads "Medical Complex". We grab seats in the back, as there are none in the front. It's funny, this shuttle is mostly filled with pregnant women, including one who lets anyone that will listen that the father of her baby is Trinity Mef.

"Sure, and I'm President Snow," says Peeta under his breath. I kick him in the shin and he groans.

The bus starts. It's only about a five minute ride, but judged from the distance we travel, I'm glad that we didn't walk.

The bus stops, and we all slowly file off. Peeta grabs my hand and leads me to a brown building with the words: "Maternity" engraved on the door. The doors slide open for us and we walk up to the front desk.

"Um, I have an appointment for Everdeen?" I say to the lady at the front desk. She consults her clipboard.

"Yes, I have you down. If you could take off your shoes and follow me please," she asks. I nod, and Peeta and I follow her to an examination room.

At first, she does the elementary things, such as taking my blood pressure, weighing me (yikes!) and asking me how far along I am.

"Dr. Gregory will see you now," she says, leading us into the ultrasound room.

"Hello, I am Dr. Gregory," a grey haired man greets us, shaking Peeta's hand. He asks me the same questions that the nurse did, do I have morning sickness, any cravings, etc. He measures my stomach and takes my temperature. "It would seem that you are four months along," he concludes. "Now we only need to do an ultrasound."

"Okay," I agree, and lay down on the soft examination table. Peeta rolls my shirt up for me, and then Dr. Gregory squirts some clear, cold gel on my belly. As he waves a wand over my stomach, an image comes up on the screen. Our baby.

Peeta has tears in his eyes, and I'm crying a little.

"Do you want to know if it is a boy or girl?" asks Dr. Gregory. Peeta nods, and so do I. Squinting at imagine, Dr. Gregory types a few things into his computer, and studies the image a little more closely.

"Congratulations, you guys are expecting a-"

**Sorry! I had to end it right there! I'm hoping to get another chapter this afternoon, but I have to be at an awards dinner at six...so we'll see. **

** If you liked it, review. If you didn't, review. ;)**


	14. Chapter 14

Hey everyone...sorry about this not being a chapter :(, but I have some important things to tell you.

So school is starting up again, and very soon I'll be busy with swimming and homework. So, I'm sad to tell you that I am putting _After The End_ on a temporary hold. I'll post occasional chapters, but will not be posting regularly. Once I'm further into the school year and better at managing my time, I promise I will resume writing. So stay with me :)!

Until I continue writing again, if you're looking for something to read, check out my two other one-shots, _Perfect _and _Snowflakes_. Some other authors you might want to check out that write like me are HPfanonezillion, eekabeeka, rosaliemellark, and JustASmallTownGleek.

I'll see you all very soon :)

-otterhoundgirl


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 14**

**OHMYGOODNESS. I'M BACK!**

**I feel really bad that I forgot about this. School just got to be a lot. I took a break from writing, but I'm back and ready to go. I've been doing a lot of writing lately, and I think we have three or so more chapters left in this story. I'll be doing a lot more writing after, so this journey is not over yet.**

**I'm on spring break, so I pinkie promise that you guys will get another update this week. The last chapter of this story will probably be uploaded around 4/17 (my target date). I currently have an untitled Draco/Hermione story that I am working on that will be uploaded by May 1st.**

**I know I've been gone for awhile, but to all of you who read this, I'd like to thank you for sticking with my writing. I know I let you guys down before, but I promise that it will never happen again.**

xx Otterhoundgirl

"Congratulations, you guys are expecting a girl!" Dr. Gregory tells us as he shuts down the ultrasound.

"A girl? Wow!" says Peeta. He comes over, helps me out, then gives me a kiss. Dr. Gregory awkwardly clears his throat.

"Um, here is a DVD of your ultrasound. I made to copies. And in this folder I have just plain pictures."

"Thanks so much," I say. He nods.

"Just see my nurse at the front desk before you leave and she'll take care of the rest. I have some vitamins for you, Katniss," he says, handing me a bunch of pills in a bright blue jar,

"But that's all."

"Thank you, so much," Peeta says, giving him one final handshake. We walk up to the discharge nurse, who says that we will be due back for another visit in two weeks, but we can come here or go visit Dr. Zach back in Twelve. We then hop back on the shuttle and return to the main lodge.

"Oh man, I don't have a swimsuit!" I realize when we get back to our room.

"Er, actually, I packed you one," says Peeta, grabbing it from the dresser. I examine it. It's my orangey-pink two piece that is covered in a cotton sort of lace. I try it on.

"Peeta...this is the one I wore on our honeymoon...do you think it is inappropriate?" I ask, tugging it up so that it shows less cleavage.

"You look beautiful, Katniss," he replies, changing into his green swim trunks.

"Okay, whatever, I'll just wear a shirt too," I decide, shrugging on a white t-shirt.

"Okay, it's one-thirty, we'd better get going," Peeta reminds me, grabbing our beach bag.

We take the elevator down to the lobby where we meet Johanna and Gale.

"Let's go swimming!" says Johanna excitedly, and with that we walk out the front door and we are basically at the beach, which is breathtaking. We set our blanket down on the white sand and Johanna and Gale do the same. I take off my shirt and lay down on my back, soaking in the golden sun.

"Whoa, baby bump!" screams Johanna, looking at my stomach.

"Well, I'm four months pregnant, so it makes sense..." I explain. She shrugs, and goes off to "swim" with Gale. Peeta takes out his book and I rest my head on his chest as he reads.

Time passes very quickly, and before I know it Gale and Johanna are back, sopping wet.

"You guys gotta get in!" says Gale, keeping a firm grip on Johanna's hand.

"It feels AMAZING!" agrees Johanna as she adjusts her black and white bikini.

"Fine," Peeta and I agree. We wade into the bright blue water, which feels amazing.

"This is nice," I say, splashing a little water onto my thighs. Johanna and Gale nod in agreement. Peeta just keeps swimming.

After an afternoon of play, we leave the beach around four. I'm exhausted, so I order up a cup of soup and some bread, take some vitamin pills, and go to bed.

"Katniss! We can go home now!" yells Peeta, shaking me awake. I slowly sit up and rub the sleep out of my eyes.

"What?" I ask, my voice still thick with sleep.

"They captured the rebel leader. The rebels have surrendered. We've been given clearance to return to Twelve," he elaborates. A shot of happiness sears through me. We can go home now!

"Great!" I cheer, getting out of bed.

"The hovercraft leaves in an hour. I've already packed all your stuff. Just change and we'll go to the departure area," he informs me, shooing me out of bed. I quickly change out of my pajamas and check the room for any stray items one last time before leaving.

We leave our suite quickly and catch a shuttle to the departure area that we have been assigned to.

"Hovercraft 12 to District Twelve is now boarding," a cool voice announces. I grab Peeta's hand and we board. We're going home!

It's a faster hovercraft ride-only about six hours, and then we're home. An attendant tells us that our luggage will be delivered to our house. Since the hovercraft landed on the landing pad in the Victor's Village square, we quickly walk home. Peeta grabs the silvery key from his pocket and then unlocks the door. I walk in the door and am immediately satisfied. It is exactly as we left it, from the dirtied dishes in the sink to the table not fully cleared.

"Well, we'd better clean this place up, huh?" asks Peeta. I nod in agreement, and go to the cleaning closet, where I get some sanitary spray to wipe the table down with. We clean up, loading the dishwasher and vacuuming so our home is in its usual pristine condition.

When we are finally done cleaning, we collapse onto the couch, happy to be back home. As Peeta flips the television on, I imagine our living room two years from now. Baby toys scattered on the floor, beautiful baby girl sleeping in her crib. The very thought of it brings a smile to my face as I fall asleep.

**Leave me a review and let me know what you think :)  
Next chapter coming by April 5th :)**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

**Okay, here's chapter 16! This is the first chapter that I've fully written since returning (half of chapter 15 was written before I took a break) and I think it's evident that my writing has gotten a lot better since Aug/Sept.**

**Just to talk about dates a little- I can confirm that the last chapter of After The End will be posted on May 1st, right before I leave for vacation. If for some reason I don't get around to posting it, it will be posted on May 10th, when I return. If my phone will work in the USVI I might post it from there. The Draco/Hermione story (not titled yet) will be posted by May 20th. I was originally going to have two, maybe three more chapters left in this story, but to make it up to you guys for by absence, there will be six more chapters left in this story plus an epilouge (sorry if that's not spelled right!)**

**Hope that answers any questions you may have! If you have any more, do not hesitate to pm me.**

x otterhoundgirl

When I wake up, there are people I don't know standing in our kitchen. To say I'm scared is an understatement.

"Who are you?" I exclaim, resting my hands on my baby bump. Peeta comes rushing into the kitchen, a wooden spoon in his hand.

"Katniss, don't worry! They're inspectors Haymitch sent, they need to make sure the rebels didn't destroy anything or bug any of our house. They're going to go through the house and double check," he explains. I nod, still not trusting them one hundred percent. I'm a timid and protective person. I don't like the idea of complete strangers prodding through our personal photos.

Yet that's what they still do. They take out wedding photos, vitamins, old shoes, unused clothing hangers. I keep a watchful eye over them at all times, afraid that they will start going through my undergarment drawer. Thankfully, they avoid it.

Needless to say, it's a relief when they finally leave. One possibly dangerous device was found in the walls, and has been removed. It's good that our house is completely safe now. Peeta cooks us breakfast, a simple meal of grain cakes with a sauce I can't define and oranges.

"Katniss, I was thinking, maybe we should make a plan to go into the Capitol. They have the best baby stores, and you can get advanced screening to make sure your pregnancy is going okay. We should probably pay a visit to Paylor's memorial as well. Should we do that?" Peeta proposes. I think the plan over. I do want the advanced screening done, and a visit to Paylor's memorial is long overdue. I don't enjoy shopping much, but might as well do it in the Capitol, where they have the baby store extravaganzas.

"That sounds like a good plan," I agree.

We immediately get to work planning. Our journey will require quite a lot of thought, because under a new order from stand-in president Plutarch, all important figures involved in the games or the rebellion are required to have a security team looking out for them at all times. That means that calls need to be made, permissions given, weapons ordered. After careful consideration, our date is decided- we'll be leaving by train on the fifth of May and returning the same way on the fifteenth. While we're there, we'll stop by a few dedications, memorials, and flat-out shrines. Although the main purpose of this trip is to focus on my pregnancy, the Capitol planners have only alotted two days for Peeta and I to get the screening done and by baby supplies.

The days leading up to our trip are action-packed. This visit to the Capitol is a full-scale affair, with my prep team designing outfits and packing trunks full of makeup and hair pieces.

I feel as if I'm in the games again. People hurrying around me, measuring things, sewing, knitting, getting me in tip-top shape. In some ways its a luxury to have people fussing over me. In others, it's a burden and I'd love to do it myself.

The night before we are scheduled to leave, our living room is packed with trunks and wardrobe bags. District Transportation Staff and our team come over in the early hours of the morning to begin hauling bags to the awaiting train at the Victor's Station. The ruckus keeps Peeta awake in our bed, and the result is me swallowing the yellow tablets that come from the Capitol to help me sleep. I am awoken by Peeta in the early hours of the morning, when sun has not yet risen and the birds are still sleeping. I move like a zombie, getting dressed and allowing Peeta to lead me to the car that awaits in front of our house. The car takes us to the station, where a train awaits, already running and ready to go. As soon as we board, we're given coffee. I refrain from drinking it, partially because of the pregnancy and partially because I really want to sleep.

"Peeta, do you know if there's a sleeper car?" I ask, the rest of my question being cut off by a huge yawn.

"Yeah, it's the middle car. Do you want me to take you there?" he replies, wrapping his arms around my waist and brushing a few strands of stray hair out of my face. I shake my head.

"I'll find it on my own. There are a bunch of people on this train who came to talk to you," I insist, turning to leave the entry car.

"And you!" he reminds me. I sigh.

"I want to sleep. I'm going to sleep. Have Effie or someone wake me up when I've been out for like two hours. Then I'll socialize. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find that sleeper car," I declare, moving Peeta's hands off my hips and exiting the car. Peeta doesn't bother to fight, as he knows that when fighting with a hormonal pregnant woman, he'll lose.

I make my way through the various cars of the train, all filled with weary-eyed officials drinking from steaming cups of coffee. They say hello when I walk through, and some even bow (gag), and I try to be as polite as possible, even though I just want to sleep.

I reach the second-to-last car. On the door reads a sign- "Sleeper Car- Permission Required to Enter". There's a keypad under the sign, so I type in my identification pin. The door slides open immediately, and an attendant rushes up to greet me.

"Hello, Mrs. Everdeen, what can-n I be helping you with today?" she stutters nervously, wringing her hands.

"I'd just like to close my eyes, can I get a bunk?" I ask. She nods, motioning for me to follow her. She leads me to a private room, complete with a queen-bed, a bathroom, and a kitchenette.

"I'll be just outside the door if you need anything," she says and closes the door.

I change out of my clothes and into a robe so my outfit isn't wrinkled. The robe is made out of soft fuzzy material, and I just want to cocoon myself inside it. I let my hair out of it's braid and tie it up in a bun so it doesn't snarl.

The bed looks so comfortable. Sighing contentedly, I peel back the satin bedspread and fall in, drifting out of awakeness almost instantly.

"Katniss! You need to get up! There's a breakfast about to be served!" Effie whispers as she shakes my shoulders. I moan, opening my eyes and rising out of bed.

"Breakfast?" I mumble, starting to rebraid my hair. Effie nods.

"Do I need to change?" I ask. Effie nods once again and hands me a wardrobe bag. Inside there is a pencil skirt and a white button down. I change quickly, applying a bit of makeup from the bag handed to me. Octavia taught me how to apply my own makeup so they won't have to be doting on me 24/7. I can't do it as well as then, but my beautician skills suffice.

"Katniss, remind me how far along you are again?" Effie asks as she hands me a pair of cream and black flats.

"Six months. (A.N: I know Katniss should only be three-ish months along according to past events, but for the sake of the story, this is happening three months after they went to Four)" I say, slipping my feet into them. She smiles.

"I know a lot of pregnant women who would be jealous! Why, six months and you're barely showing!" she gushes. I shrug.

"According to the doctor, my frame is small so my baby bump is small. But we're still having the screening done to make sure nothing's wrong," I explain. Effie nods.

"We need to go to breakfast. Follow me." She leads me through the cars to the dining car, where a long table is set up. Capitol and District officials are already seated. I'm told to sit next to Peeta, who, much to his resentment, is at the head of the table.

Once we're seated, breakfast is served. There are millions of options to chose from, but I take a bowl of hot oats and tea because my stomach isn't feeling too nice. For an hour, we're forced to listen to silly banter about the weather, the latest sporting event, and even my pregnancy, until someone shrieks in excitement. I glance out the window and see the tall glass buildings in the distance. We're approaching the Capitol.

**Leave me a review below? I'll respond to every one and answer any questions you may have :)**

Next chapter by April 2 :)


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**Hi guys! I'm on spring break and I've been doing so much writing. I like this chapter and a new problem is introduced so I hope you find it interesting. :) **

A chorus of cheers erupts from the table, and the staff takes that as their cue to bring out the breakfast champagne. I internally scold them. We'll have twenty drunk officials by lunch.

"Katniss, once the train arrives, we're going to go straight to the hotel, okay? There will be time for the meet and greets later, or that's what Effie tells me. Is that okay with you?," Peeta informs me.

"That's fine," I confirm. Effie happily nods and goes into this whole thing about how my new wardrobe is amazing and how the prep team really outdid themselves and everything. I try to tune it all out, because honestly, if it's not made by Cinna or Portia, I don't really care. My new sets consist of a lot of pastels, which make me want to throw up even more.

"Katniss! The train is pulling into the station," Haymitch announces from the corner of the room, where he has been nursing a mild hangover and a scotch all morning. Peeta grabs my hand and brings me to the front of the train, where a team of security guards surround us and draw weapons.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who said they could be here? I don't want this!" I protest, trying to break free of the ring they have me and Peeta in.

"Katniss, there could be people in this crowd sent to shoot you. We're not exiting this train unless we have security guards around you," Haymitch says, swirling the cup with his drink around. I look to Peeta for backup but the expression on his face tells me to just cooperate. So I do.

The train doors open and we are greeted by a large crowd of people. They're cheering, confetti is flying, signs are being held up in the air. I can only catch a small glimpse of it, due to the security guards around me. I'm beginning to feel quite claustrophobic.

We're ushered into an armored car and told to sit. Effie and Haymitch sit down a moment later. Effie looks thoroughly terrified but her expression is replaced by a grin when she sees me staring at her.d

"Wow, Katniss and Peeta, you sure have a lot of admirers!" she exclaims in a sugary-sweet voice.

"Yeah, it's sweet that they all came out here to see us," Peeta says, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. I lean slightly onto his chest, already feeling a wave of fatigue about to overcome me.

The car takes us through the smooth streets of the Capitol, not stopping at any red lights. I wonder where our hotel is until my question is answered by Haymitch-

"They're putting you up at the Opulence Hotel," he informs me, as if I've been thinking aloud. Peeta and I nod. I vaugely remember staying there after the rebellion for a peace-meeting, but that was last year.

The driver announces that we've arrived and we exit, to have the security team surround us once more. Once we safely get inside, we're greeted by a jittery woman with pink and purple hair who offers us non-alcoholic coladas and ushers us into a glass elevator. It shoots up thirty stories in five seconds. The experience brings back memories, mostly unpleasant, of my days at the Tribute Tower leading up to my first Games. I can tell that Peeta is thinking the same thing as me.

The woman, who tells us her name is Albina, shows us to our room. Effie, Haymitch, Peeta, and I have the top floor all to ourselves, although Effie and Haymitch have one-bedroom suites and Peeta and I have a three-bedroom suite that we probably won't even use. Room keys are handed out and we make a tentative plan to wash up, take naps, and meet in our private dining room around eight for dinner.

Peeta eagerly opens our door. I gasp when I see what lies behind it.

Minimalistic furniture made of leather and glass rests on the white marble floor. There are floor-to-ceiling glass windows with fur curtains. A little note is stuck on the windows saying that they're one way glass. Great to know.

I eagerly rush into the bedroom, eager to change into some pajamas and go to sleep. A larger-than-king-sized bed rests low to the floor. The covers appear to be made from a soft white material that looks very inviting.

"Peeta, I'm going to take a nap!" I call out, slipping off my skirt and blouse and changing into a long, white shirt and a pair of sleep shorts.

"Would you like me to wake you up by a certain time?" Peeta asks as he enters the room. I shake my head. He nods. "I'm going to do some work."

I sigh. "Peeta, you've been up since three in the morning without an ounce of sleep. C'mon and lay down for awhile," I urge him, patting the space in the bed next to me. Sighing, he slips off his dress shirt and pants and changes into his pajamas, climbing into bed next to me. I pull the covers over us and he wraps his arms around me, pressing a sweet kiss to my cheek. I try to find the words to say I love you but my thoughts are soon overcome by the urging power of sleep.

When I wake up, I roll over expecting to see Peeta's snoozing face. But he's not there. Ugh, I hope he didn't get up to do work. Bakery graphs don't require 24/7 attention.

I shuffle over to our suitcases which lie open on the ground, picking out blue pants and grey sweater to change into. My hair has become snarled, so I brush it out and plait it down my back. The foul taste of sleep lingers in my mouth, so I brush my teeth well, swallowing some prenatal vitamins afterwards.

I rifle through Peeta's suitcase, hoping to find his sketchpad and pencils. If I do, maybe I can persuade him to take a bit of time off work to relax and do what he loves. When I locate his art bag, I drag it into the hallway, hoping to surprise him. But I get a surprise of my own. Haymitch is standing in our sitting room, apparently in the middle of an argument with Peeta. I start to guess that this isn't meant for my ears but my curious side gets the best of me and I press my back up against the wall, hoping not to be seen or heard.

"She needs to know!" Peeta shouts. There's a loud crash.

"Yeah, that's an awesome conversation to have. "Hey, Katniss, I know you're pregnant and all but I have something important to tell you. There's an anonymous person sending death threats to your manager and they said they would kill you. Have a nice day!" I know this must be hard for you and all, Peeta, but Katniss has been through so much already. This will hurt her even further," Haymitch insists. My breath catches in my throat. A stalker... kill me? That explains the security and armored car and no meet and greets. It all makes sense now.

I can feel it in the back of my throat, I'm going to be sick. Trying to make as little noise as possible, I rush into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me and emptying the contents of breakfast into the toilet.

Moments later, Peeta comes rushing in, an alarmed expression on his face. He seems almost relieved when he sees I just have the usual sickness. I lift my head up from the toilet bowl, tears beginning to stream down my face. When Peeta sees my tears he rushes over and gives me a hug. I rest my head on his shoulder, sobs beginning to freely pour out of me.

"Aww, love, it's just morning sickness," Peeta tries to comfort me. He assumes I'm upset because I threw up for the fortieth time. But that's not the only reason I'm crying.

**Don't forget to leave me a review below! **

**Next chapter by April 5. It might come before then but I'm going out of town for Easter so I doubt it.**

**PS: To the reviewer who sent me the review about the cell phones, sorry I'm responding to you like this, but you're a guest so this is my only way. I'm imagining that all current technology would have been lost during the apocalypse or the Capitol would have taken it and controlled it, so that's why Katniss doesn't know what a cell phone is. :D**

**PPS: My previous beta never got back to me so would any of you like to volunteer? You need to be a registered user so I can PM you and stuff but leave me a review if you want to :) **


	18. Chapter 18

**I hope everyone had a lovely Easter! If you don't celebrate Easter, I hope your day was extra special :D **  
**And just to give you all a quick update-**

**my Dramione fanfic will be titled "Out of the Dark". It will probably not reach the length of this story because it will be written over the summer, a time when I'm really busy, but it will still be a full story! If you like Harry Potter, I encourage you to read it when it comes out between May 1st and 10th.**

**Now I give you chapter 18:**

**ps I think the beginning of this chapter is the cutest thing ever..**

The sobs fade away after a period of time. I haven't really gotten over the fact that I'm being sent death threats. I think there's a point where your body gets too tired to cry anymore and your sadness or fright or pain becomes plainly internal.

"Katniss, can I make you anything?" Peeta offers, tucking loose strands of hair behind my ears and helping me off the ground.

"I just..need..a...moment," I croak, trying to regain composure. He nods and moves next to me, allowing me to rest my head in his lap and try to control my breathing. I lie there for quite a period of time, listening to the hum of the air conditioner and the trickle of the dripping faucet.

Suddenly, I'm met with an odd sensation in my stomach. Sort of like a jab. I gasp, moving my hands down to my baby bump.

"Peeta... I think she just kicked," I whisper, climbing up and pulling him up with me. A grin lights up his face.

"Really?" he asks. I nod.

"Put your hands to my belly, see if you can feel it," I tell him, taking his large hands and guiding them to my stomach. There's a moment of silence and then he smiles the widest smile I've ever seen.

"She did!" he says, trying to contain his excitement. He leaves his hands on my stomach, waiting to feel another kick, but it never happens.

"I'm sure there will be loads more," I assure Peeta. He nods, and we agree that the painful baby-kicking is just about to start.

"It's almost six. Are you feeling well enough to go to dinner?" Peeta asks.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," I sigh, "I'm going to get ready." I make my way to our room so I can get something from the wardrobe and get to work on the mess that my face has become. I don't care about my outfit that much, so I grab the first thing I see- a black dress that's belted with a brown belt, some black knit tights, and matching brown boots. I change quickly and pause for a moment to look at myself in the mirror. My eyes are slightly swollen from the crying and hair is falling all around my face, but what surprises me most is my baby bump. It used to be small and unnoticeable, but now there's no denying that I'm pregnant. My bump extends at least a fingerwidth now, if not more. I consider this to be so colossal but it's weird to think that my baby bump is small compared to others at the same stage as me.

Peeta gives me the twenty minute warning so I move into the bathroom, quickly washing my hair drying it with the press of a button that leaves it smooth and silky. I apply a bit of makeup to my eyes but chose to leave the rest of my face blank. I prefer a natural look anyways. Having a face caked with makeup is uncomfortable and I just don't like it.

Peeta sticks his head in the bathroom door. "We have to go!" he says.

We leave our suite, making sure to lock the door behind us. There are security guards walking the halls, but at least now I know why. Someone trying to kill me. Wow. It seems almost unreal. What if they managed to break in and- wait, I'm scaring myself. Think positive thoughts, Katniss!

Effie and Haymitch meet us in a small dining room on the fourth floor. There is already tons of food out, and servers immediately come out to serve us fancy drinks with pineapple in them (alcoholic for everyone but me). There's a bit of banter at the table about the events planned for tomorrow, but I remain withdrawn from the conversation. The more I think about it, the more this whole person wanting to murder me thing scares me. If he killed me, he'd kill both of us- me and my daughter. Then I'd leave a heartbroken Peeta behind, not to mention my mother, Gale, Johanna, Annie, Murray, Haymitch, Effie, and even Plutarch. Why would someone even want to kill me anyways? I'm a bit of a pain in the ass, I'm impolite, but that doesn't mean you kill me! Sure, I participated in a Rebellion, but everyone who posed a security threat has been taken away. How could someone even kill me, anyways?

Instead of guessing and making my own theories, I decide to just ask. I need answers, now. And they can't be mad at me for being concerned about my family's safety.

"Yeah, hopefully the weather will cooperate!" Effie says, taking another sip of her fancy fruit drink.

"Who's trying to kill me?" I ask, quietly.

"Pardon, Katniss?" Effie asks, "I couldn't quite hear you."

"Who's trying to kill me?" I repeat, louder this time.

There's a loud crash as Effie's glass falls to the ground. Haymitch grimaces and Peeta turns as white as a sheet.

"How'd you find out?" Haymitch asks quietly.

"I heard you, earlier. I was trying to bring Peeta his sketchpad and I heard the crash. Then the rest..." I reply, looking down into my lap.

"It's nothing you have to be concerned about," Peeta says. I shake my head.

"If someone is trying to kill me I have every right to know," I reply angrily. Haymitch nods as to agree with me and looks at Peeta.

"Alright, we owe you some answers."

**Sorry for the shortness of this! I just got back to school and I've had a lot on my plate. I think the next chapter will be uploaded by April 9th or so.**

**Please leave me a review! They make me really happy and I like to know your opinions of my work :) **


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